Recently got a motion detecting LED strip. Works great in dark hallways since I can never find the darn light switch in the dark. It's such a simple thing but helps out so much.I've also discovered a tool called the "Drain weasel" that is fantastic for small drain clogs, though after seeing the design it's basically velcro on a stick. I was honestly surprised how well it worked but will likely use velcro on a stick in the future. Drain weasel is cheap anyway but doesn't seem recyclable, which is too bad.A wedge pillow is fantastic for reading in bed. I'm glad I finally got one, though the one I got is a bit too skinny.

Anyone else have their favorite gadgets that work better than they expect?

It's hard not to bring up the Amazon Echo. For example, for the light switch convenience, you just say "Alexa, turn on lamp".

amateur practices til gets right pro til can't get wrong/ better approx answer to right q than exact answer to wrong q which can be made precise /“most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. Source of all true art & science

I'm not 100% sure I understand people's concerns but yeah it is potentially always listening, could be hacked, etc.

Some other gadgets that aren't necessarily new:- chromebook - same internet concerns - but this kind of computer is only for internet things like surfing RSF. it doesn't allow you to install software (other than inside the browser) so it is supposedly far less vulnerable to attacks. also it's self-updating and boots in 3 seconds.

- motiv ring fitness monitor: hoping this will be as good as the hype. like a fit bit but a ring.

amateur practices til gets right pro til can't get wrong/ better approx answer to right q than exact answer to wrong q which can be made precise /“most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. Source of all true art & science

If there's a way for criminals to hack into stuff and do evil things I figure it's only an eventuality before it happens. Doesn't help that most companies don't even treat security as an important thing. The fact some of the biggest hacks/botnets recently were IoT based doesn't help ease my mind.I have an Instant Pot, which feels like a quality pressure cooker. I want to slap the interface designer though. Took me quite a while to figure out how to make the Chinese radish pork bone soup w/ the radish in a decent condition (soft but still offers some crunch). To be honest it isn't much easier to use than doing it with my rice cooker, but I'm sure I'm not doing it right.I love my Zojirushi insulated mug (actually a bottle). It has 1 touch open and is water tight. Can keep water hot for way longer than you'd expect. The only flaw is there are complex parts that are a bit hard to wash, but not really worse than most of the competition.

The soft drink dispenser looks pretty smart actually.That sleep cocoon thing probably would've been awesome while I was working in Taiwan, but don't sleep at the table anymore. Doesn't actually look that comfy, but will probably keep people away from bothering you.